Illegal Immigrants Focus of Resolution

Supervisors Vicky Howard and Maggie Kildee will ask their board colleagues Tuesday to adopt a resolution urging the federal government to pay for services it requires Ventura County to provide to illegal immigrants.

Howard and Kildee complain that the federal government is forcing local governments to provide a host of costly services for illegal immigrants but fails to provide enough money to do so.

Board members have discussed the mandates with federal officials on several occasions, including during a trip to Washington last year and among colleagues at the recent National Assn. of Counties conference.

The resolution urges the federal government to “recognize its obligation to reimburse state and local governments for the costs of providing federally mandated services to illegal immigrants by appropriating sufficient federal funding to cover these costs.”

In his state budget proposal now under review, Gov. Pete Wilson included a request for $3 billion in federal funds to pay for health, education and public assistance services that the state must provide to illegal immigrants.

But the Clinton Administration budget proposal did not include that appropriation.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors passed a similar resolution a year ago.